Comments on: Have the patent wars come to cleantech?http://gigaom.com/2012/02/14/have-the-patent-wars-come-to-cleantech/
The industry leader in emerging technology researchWed, 14 Mar 2018 14:54:48 +0000hourly1By: Adam Lesserhttp://gigaom.com/2012/02/14/have-the-patent-wars-come-to-cleantech/#comment-809974
Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:54:59 +0000http://gigaom.com/?p=484870#comment-809974Michael, I agree that Nest’s profile has drawn attention to patent lawsuits in cleantech and there have been prior suits in the sector. But the tact that Honeywell is taking, using extremely broad patents like asking a user “What temperature do you like when the heat is on” to learn their behavior, is a business strategy, not a means to protect valuable IP. People like James Bessen at BU Law School have been outspoken about how the number of patent lawsuits has tripled since the 90s, and while some of that is IP development a lot is an attempt sew up markets.

In the end the solutions have more to do with creating a more knowledgeable US Patent Office that has a better understanding of what’s “non obvious” as well as a fair licensing system so that startups can move forward with tech development knowing they can access IP at a reasonable cost.

]]>By: michael kanelloshttp://gigaom.com/2012/02/14/have-the-patent-wars-come-to-cleantech/#comment-809587
Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:28:25 +0000http://gigaom.com/?p=484870#comment-809587Butamax v. Gevo. Westinghouse v. Solar. FIsker v. Tesla had trade overtones. Patent suits have been going on in green for years. Licensing from labs has expanded in the last ten years. The difference is that individuals and reporters are paying more attention to this suit because it involves Nest, and the Nest founders came from Apple. What has changed is the celebrity status of one of the parties.